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09-27-2009, 10:24 AM   #1
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Images too Bright with k20D

I recently switched to a K20D and have noticed a quite frustrating issue. I'm not sure if it's me or the camera. The images appear find on the LCD screen. But, once on the computer the highlights are severly blown. Examples being, brides dresses, facial highlights and other things of the sort. I did not experience these issues with the K10D. Is there a major difference between the two cameras that I'm missing? Or is it something I'm doing incorrectly?? I desperately want to fix this issue so any and all help is appreciated!

Thanks!

09-27-2009, 10:35 AM   #2
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Are you shooting raw and can you bring things back into line during conversion?
If this is the case, then your raw converter default preset is wrong.
is this all the time or when using flash?
I did find that the K20 wasn't the best for exposure, especially with TTL flash (thankfully I don't have to deal with it as I have an excellent auto flash), and I was habitually chimping and adjusting exposure bias.
Metering accuracy has not been one of Pentax's strong points historically, though the K-7 has proven itself to be far more accurate than the K20, I've almost learned to trust it without chimping every shot.
With the *istD/K10/K20, I just never was able to trust the in camera metering to be accurate enough.
09-27-2009, 10:40 AM   #3
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Well you can adjust the LCD brightness

I have my LCD turned down to appoximate what I see on the computer screen...


Dont know why the camera is blowing highlights in any sort of Priority mode though... Mine tends to underexpose a tad.

Are you shooting in manual mode and adjusting your settings based on the LCD?
Are you using the histogram to check your exposures?
09-27-2009, 10:47 AM   #4
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I am shooting in Manual, so to my understanding the metering is bypassed, correct? I will start using my histogram more to check my exposure and use the LCD less. It happens both when I use flash and when I don't. Thanks for your help, so far!

09-27-2009, 11:43 AM   #5
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Try and adjust you LCD brightness

If you are shooting manual, To match your computer..

I tend to use my LCD to quickly check too, and I was off originally because my camera's LCD was off compared to my computer

Last edited by Igilligan; 09-27-2009 at 11:50 AM.
09-27-2009, 01:30 PM   #6
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I would try to adjust your LCD a little to how you like it. The other thing, I am sure you know, is that it is better to under expose a little than to over expose. I'm not very good at judging exposure and so I don't shoot manual, but use Av or TAv and then EV compensate.
09-27-2009, 01:40 PM   #7
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on the LCD display, you should be able to turn on an option that causes blown highlight and unexposed dark pixels to blink when you review your images. This will help identify blown highlight immediately. It is my understanding though, that these are blown highlights in a JPEG that is made with the raw data, and often small blown highlights can even be brought back if you are using raw.

09-27-2009, 04:12 PM   #8
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I don't trust the image on the small camera LCD screen.

There should be an option to have the histogram displayed on the LCD screen right after you take a shot, I know my K10D has it, so the K20D should be no different. Turn that on and read the histogram instead of the actual image.

QuoteOriginally posted by Alex2007 Quote
I am shooting in Manual, so to my understanding the metering is bypassed, correct?
Yes and no. The camera will still meter and show the meter reading in the form of the EV bar in the VF display and top LCD, but that is all. YOU get to choose whatever settings you want to take the shot, and you can use that meter reading as a guide or totally ignore it.
09-27-2009, 04:21 PM   #9
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If histogram results look fine to you on the LCD, then check your PP software auto settings.
Perhaps it's adjusting exposure/brightness/contrast automatically and giving you falsely overexposed default results. Either reset defaults in that case or readjust the exposure tabs to get the result you want.
09-27-2009, 05:44 PM   #10
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I set the camera to blink with the too bright/too dark areas. I also chose to have the histogram displayed on the LCD with every image preview. I had a session this evening and it seems to have helped. My trouble may just have been caused by the slight difference in camera. If anyone has any other ideas I'm all for hearing them! Thanks for all the replies and advice!
09-27-2009, 05:52 PM   #11
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It's not clear to me whether the overexposure is happening in camera or in PP.
If in camera, check your metering mode - spot metering used in appropriately can cause over-exposure. Also check your EC - set it back to 0 and try multi-segment metering. If still over-exposing, check the lens - you wouldn't by any chance be using a Tamron 70-200 on the K20D? I've had 2 such lenses with sticky aperture levers that stick the lens in wide open mode even though the camera's telling it to stop down, causing blown out exposures.
09-28-2009, 11:40 PM   #12
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Alex I hav moved from the K10 to the K20. My experience with MY unit is that although the 10 was prone to over-exposure the 20 is much more accurate.
I use both cameras in Manual mode. I may do a digital preview or simply make a trial exposure and adjust the exposure. I then shoot without further measurement a long lighting and subject matter does not change. Just what I used to do with the 500C Hasselblad when I was shooting weddings etc. I used an incident light meter and got the shadow detail and let film latitude look after the highlights. It worked and allowed accurate and fast shoting.
With digital of course you expose to protect the highlights from blowing out. The histogram is as good or better that a top quality light meter.
And BTW I use matrix metering.
09-29-2009, 08:57 AM   #13
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You really can't rely on an LCD to indicate proper exposure. Do you have highlight warnings turned on in your camera? If you don't you definitely should. I use the blinkies as a rough indication that something is blown out then I check my histogram to see where I'm at in terms of exposure.

Shoot in RAW, turn on highlight warnings, and check your histogram. You'll be fine.
09-29-2009, 10:59 PM   #14
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Rich, when I say I judge correct exposure by checking the LCD screen I check all of the data available - the histogram and the indications of clipping both highlights and shadows. But if I must sacrifice one or the other, I will allow shadow clipping.
However I must say that even though the camera shows some shadow clipping (this rendering is based on the jpg 8bit sRGB setting when the image is processed in ACR or LR2 in ProPhoto of Adobe RGB there is rarely any clipping in the resultant image.
The appearance of the image in the LCD is IRREVALENT.
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